>>Patriots, Chiefs Open NFL Season
(Foxboro, MA) — The curtain raises on the 2017 NFL season tonight as the Patriots clash with the Chiefs at Gillette Stadium. New England beat the Falcons in Super Bowl 51 for the franchise’s fifth championship last February. The Pats are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since they previously did it in after the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
>>Seahawks’ Bennett Allegedly Assaulted By Police
(Undated) — Las Vegas police are confident that evidence will show that race wasn’t a factor in an incident involving Seahawks player Michael Bennett. Bennett believes his skin color was at play when Vegas police ordered him to the ground at gunpoint and threatened to blow his head off. Police showed a video of the incident and they’re investigating it.
>>Bears Preparing For Season Opener
(Lake Forest, IL) — The Bears are gearing up for Sunday’s season opener against the Falcons. In roster news, the Bears officially released linebacker Lamarr Houston, who spent three-plus injury-plagued seasons in Chicago. Meanwhile, Kyle Long, Prince Amukamara and Markus Wheaton did not participate in practice yesterday.
>>Trubisky Named Glennon’s Backup
(Lake Forest, IL) — Rookie Mitchell Trubisky is second on the depth chart behind starting quarterback Mike Glennon. Trubisky earned the nod over veteran Mark Sanchez. Bears head coach John Fox says Trubisky earned the spot.
>>Colts Visit Rams Sunday
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Colts kick off the 2017 season on the road as they visit the L.A. Rams on Sunday. Scott Tolzien will start at quarterback as Andrew Luck has been ruled out for week one. Newly acquired quarterback Jacoby Brissett will not challenge for the starting job, but is now Tolzien’s back-up and has been busy learning the playbook.
>>Still No Practice For Luck
(Indianapolis, IN) — Colts quarterback Andrew Luck did not practice on Wednesday. The team took him off the physically-unable-to-perform list over the weekend, but Luck has yet to see the field. His status for Week Two is up in the air, but he is definitely out Sunday versus the Rams. In other injury news, cornerback Vontae Davis and center Ryan Kelly have been ruled out for Sunday.
>>Illinois Hosts Western Kentucky Saturday
(Champaign, IL) — Illinois clashes with Western Kentucky in Champaign on Saturday. The Illini came away with a 24-21 home win over Ball State in their season opener last Saturday. Meanwhile, Northwestern is on the road to face Duke, while Notre Dame takes on 15th-ranked Georgia.
>>Piscotty Homer Pushes Cards Past Padres
(San Diego, CA) — Stephen Piscotty’s two-run homer in the seventh inning erased a 1-0 deficit and the Cardinals went on to beat the Padres 3-1 in San Diego. Harrison Bader added a sac-fly for insurance in the eighth. Ryan Sherriff got his first big league win in relief. Tyler Lyons posted his second save. St. Louis has won four straight and six of its last seven.
>>Cubs Blank Bucs 1-0 With Ninth-Inning Run
(Pittsburgh, PA) — Alex Avila tripled in the game’s only run in the top of the ninth inning as the Cubs blanked the Pirates 1-0 in Pittsburgh. Jose Quintana and three relievers combined on a six-hitter. Chicago had just three hits in the win. The Cubs lead the Cardinals by four games and the Brewers by four-and-a-half in the NL Central. They finish their series in Pittsburgh tonight.
>>Indians Match Franchise Mark With 14th Straight Win
(Chicago, IL) — The Indians are matching the record for the longest winning streak in franchise history. Cleveland captured its 14th consecutive victory with a 5-1 win over the White Sox in Chicago. Carlos Carrasco went the distance, striking out nine and allowing only three hits to improve to 14-and-6.
>>D’backs Dump Dodgers For 13th Straight Win
(Los Angeles, CA) — The Diamondbacks are riding the longest winning streak in team history. Arizona extended its run to 13 games with a 3-1 win over the Dodgers in LA. The D’backs swept the three-game set with the MLB-leading Dodgers and hold a seven-and-a-half-game lead on Colorado for the top NL wild card. LA has lost 11 of its last 12 games.
>>Nadal Advances, Federer Ousted At U.S. Open
(Flushing Meadows, NY) — Rafael Nadal is through to the U.S. Open semifinals, while Roger Federer is headed home. Nadal beat Andrey Rublev in straight sets, while Federer lost in four to Juan Martin del Potro. American Coco Vandeweghe upset top-seeded Karolina Pliskova and fellow American Madison Keys also won.
>>Monster Series Heads To Richmond
(Richmond, VA) — The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Richmond Raceway for the Federated Auto Parts 400. Qualifying takes place Friday evening, with the 300-mile, 400-lap race to follow Saturday night. It’s the final race before the playoffs begin.
Coming up both Friday Night, and Saturday Night on Talk 101, it’s the Talk 101 High School Game of the Week presented by Landmark of Taylorville as the Eisenhower Panthers play host to Jacksonville. Then, Saturday night, the MacArthur Generals are on the road against Springfield High. Both nights, the Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy Pregame Show gets underway at 6:30p.m. and the kickoff follows at 7:00p.m. Join Scott Busboom and Kevin Hale with the call, Friday night, and Saturday night on Talk 101!